Uzbektelecom delays GSM launch

State-owned telco Uzbektelecom has delayed the launch of its planned GSM network until H1 2015, Uz Daily writes, citing Alisher Fayzullaev, the deputy chairperson of the State Committee for ICT (CCITT). Uzbektelecom had planned to introduce GSM services at the end of 2014 but has been forced to postpone the launch after an equipment tender announced in July this year fell through, when none of the submitted proposals complied with the terms of the tender. The operator has adjusted the terms and plans to relaunch the tender before the end of the month. Uzbektelecom has set its sights on rolling out a national GSM network by the end of 2018, to operate in parallel with its existing CDMA-450 platform. By that date, the network will consist of 3,900 base stations, with capacity for eight million numbers.